By Craig Pearson
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE — When Harry Marshall and Dwayne Lathan suffered injuries at the beginning of February, it could have spelled doom for the Indiana State men’s basketball team in its quest to shed a seemingly perennial spot in the Missouri Valley Conference’s play-in round at St. Louis.
The remaining healthy Sycamores stepped up to keep ISU’s hopes intact until Marshall and Lathan could return.
Perhaps none rose to the occasion more than junior Aaron Carter.
Carter averaged almost double his season scoring average, getting 14.4 per game during a five-game span during the final stretch of the regular season. He topped out with a season-high 19 points and 10 rebounds in a crucial overtime win over Bradley.
“With everybody out, everybody had to step up a little bit, and it just gave me a little bit more of a chance to do so. It wasn’t really doing anything any different,” Carter said.
Three of those double-figure scoring efforts came as a starter, but Carter’s performance in crunch time continued in the season finale Saturday against Missouri State.
He scored just five points against the Bears, but he delivered a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer off a smooth drive-and-dish by Rashad Reed to give the Sycamores momentum going into the break. The other two points came with 1:28 left in overtime when he drove the lane and drew a foul call. The 6-foot-5, 195-pounder came up big after hitting the floor hard by putting ISU ahead 69-67 with two free throws.
“He’s stepped up and played very well,” ISU coach Kevin McKenna said after Saturday’s wild Senior Day victory. “He’s an aggressive offensive player. He’s really athletic and he plays really hard, and he came in there and made a big play, made his free throws. He’ s been playing well and playing with confidence.”
Carter said he’s just continued to work at his game, expecting to produce whenever called upon.
“It helps your confidence quite a bit to know that you’ve contributed in big ways, and to continue to do so helps your confidence quite a bit,” Carter said.
Lathan, who aggravated his lower leg injury Saturday but still returned and played 28 minutes, enjoyed watching Carter and his teammates elevate their games.
“I was proud of AC, I was proud of all the guys. They had an opportunity to play. They do that every day in practice,” Lathan said. “They’re still going to help us.”
Carter’s recent stretch is not the only time he’s come up big in the clutch for ISU. During a red-hot December last season, Carter scored 16 points, including a 3-pointer and a 4-point play, in double overtime of the Sycamores’ victory at Northern Iowa. He also had scoring outputs of 20, 19 and 15 during December of 2008.
But with ISU’s additions of Jake Kelly and Lathan, Carter was relegated to limited minutes early in the 2009-10 schedule. He didn’t even see the court in the Sycamores’ game at Louisiana State.
“The beginning of the year was definitely tough mentally,” Carter said. “I wasn’t going to complain because we were winning games. It wears on you a little bit, but I just tried to go in and work hard in practice, do what the coaches wanted and it paid off for me. Just go out and play hard, make hustle plays, hit shots whenever you’re open.”
Carter has hit shots at a better rate than his previous two seasons. In 3-point accuracy, he’s second in the conference in MVC-only action, hitting 21 of 49 for 44.9 percent. He knocked down 35.5 percent from beyond the arc as a sophomore and 32.4 percent as a freshman.
“That’s a pretty good percentage. I worked a lot on my 3-pointer in the offseason., and I work a lot after practice. That’s paying off,” Carter said. “With Harry and Rashad driving, it’s important to hit the shots.”
Carter’s 3-point shooting is approaching the marksmanship his brother Matt Carter used to display at the University of Southern Indiana. From 1998 to 2002, Matt shot 46 percent (143 for 311), to become that Division II program’s all-time leader in accuracy. An all-around threat with good size, Carter can also attack the basket and has finished on the break with some powerful dunks.
“I think he wants to be a better 3-point shooter than his brother. I think [Matt Carter] was strictly a 3-point shooter. I think Aaron’s shown that he can do both. He can drive it, and he ‘s aggressive with his drives. Aaron plays really hard, a great kid. He’s always in there working on his game, and he’s a great teammate.”
When it was needed the most, Carter has delivered. The Sycamores survived the backcourt injuries, and may be better for it. Heading into the MVC Tournament opener Friday, McKenna can look up and down the bench for production.
“We knew we had a deep team all year. That’s what a good team is about, everybody stepping up,” McKenna said. “Eventually, you’re going to get your opportunity. I talk to guys about that a lot.”
Carter said the injuries could be looked at as a “blessing in disguise.”
“It happened kind of toward the end of the season, but no so much that it affected the conference tournament [battle for seeding],” he said. “We held our own when they were gone and it gave other people the chance to step up and get some experience and confidence. I think that was huge.”
Not being forced to play Thursday is a boost to the program in general.
“First time since I’ve been here we’ve avoided the play-in game. It’s huge,” Carter said. “It only takes three games to win, and we know we’re good enough to beat anybody in this league if we play the right way.”
